The banquet lasted for over two hours, and Bai Yu ate until his stomach was round and full.

When the banquet ended, Bai Yu and the others began tidying up.

Naturally, the leftover dishes on the tables were a boon to everyone at the Charity Mortuary.

For the next few days, Bai Yu and his companions didn't need to cook for themselves.

Zhu Tong, being clever, gathered the leftover dishes and sold them to Aunt Wang across the street, earning a small sum.

He didn't keep it all to himself; they divided the money among themselves, and Bai Yu received two or three hundred coins.

The Charity Mortuary, along with Willow Street and Paper Horse Street across the way, became lively due to the Zhang family's funeral.

One person's death provided a livelihood for many.

"When a whale falls, all things thrive," Bai Yu couldn't help but sigh.

In the afternoon, Bai Yu finally received his reward.

However, what he got was only five taels.

The Zhang family indeed gave twenty taels.

Once Steward Wu handled it, twenty taels became ten.

After Immoral Wu took his share, ten taels became five.

Immoral Wu wasn't worried about Bai Yu's objections at all.

In his view, Bai Yu's current achievements were all thanks to the platform provided by the Charity Mortuary.

Without the nurturing from him and his uncle, could Bai Yu have achieved what he has today?

Giving Bai Yu five taels was already quite generous.

In the Charity Mortuary, his uncle had the final say, and dealing with a small attendant was a piece of cake.

As for whether Bai Yu would go to Master Zhang to complain.

What a joke, he was just a funeral attendant and couldn't even enter the Zhang family's main gate.

Did he really think that having a drink with Master Zhang made him someone important? Far from it.

Bai Yu stared at the five taels of silver in silence.

He hadn't expected Immoral Wu to be so greedy.

Greed stirs the heart, and human desire is insatiable, just like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. The ancients did not deceive me.

He began to plot in his mind how to deal with Immoral Wu and Steward Wu, the uncle-nephew duo.

First, he would find out about the Wu family's ancestral graves.

With just a look, Old Mo understood and took out a small notebook, adding another note against Immoral Wu.

Endure for now, jot it down in the little black book, and later, dig up their ancestral graves.

Immoral Wu's actions would determine the safety of his family's graves for generations.

Of course, the most important thing right now was refining medicine.

Five taels of silver were already enough to get started.

That night, Bai Yu and Old Mo each had a leftover pork knuckle, eating until their mouths were greasy.

"Old Mo, in a few days, once we make the Essence-Nourishing Powder and earn some money, we'll eat pork knuckles every day."

"Eat one and throw one away, just for fun."

Old Mo, after finishing the meat, gnawed on the bone, showing his full agreement.

"Woof woof~"

The next day, behind the Charity Mortuary.

Bai Yu buried two corpses for the day.

To read the uncut version, go to [p𝘢wread.com].

[Qi and Blood +3, Life Experience +2!]

[Qi and Blood +2, Life Experience +6!]

He didn't rush back but instead found a rocky area.

With a casual leap, he jumped over three meters, landing steadily on a rock just big enough for one person to stand.

Then, he leaped back and forth among several large rocks.

He continued jumping until he reached a large tree, quickly climbing up and landing steadily on a branch.

He was as light as a swallow, barely causing the branch to sway.

"Void Walking Step, truly impressive!"

"If I can practice Void Walking Step to the level of 'Practice Makes Perfect,' my ability to protect myself will increase significantly."

Next, Bai Yu practiced the Mysterious Turtle Breath Gathering Technique and Five Elements Fist a few more times.

A few days later, Bai Yu requested a leave from Daoist Lin Jiu and took Old Mo into the city.

Upon entering River City, Bai Yu first bought two skewers of candied hawthorn, giving one to Old Mo.

Then he went to the famous Spring Breeze Pavilion, observing from a distance the living conditions of the young ladies of this era.

Finally, he arrived at a pharmacy called "Ji Shi Tang."

At the entrance of the pharmacy, a couplet was posted: "Better the medicine on the shelf gathers dust, than the world suffer from illness."

Bai Yu stepped into the pharmacy and inquired about the prices of ten-year ginseng, deer antler, and polygonatum.

The shop assistant beamed with joy:

"Three taels."

Bai Yu was taken aback.

Three taels?

According to his previous estimates, a set of medicine should be around five taels.

Then he immediately realized that he had been ripped off by Vendor Zhou who sold him the medicine.

In River City, ten-year ginseng was only one tael of silver, yet that vendor charged him two taels, plus a twenty-coin delivery fee.

Moreover, due to Peach Blossom Village's isolation, many imported medicines were more expensive.

It seemed that River City wasn't entirely without its advantages.

Bai Yu bought a prescription for Essence-Nourishing Powder on the spot.

He also spent one tael to buy a precise scale, known as a "dengzi" in the pharmacy.

Back at the Charity Mortuary, Bai Yu calmly processed the medicinal materials.

Then, in two batches, he successfully prepared the Essence-Nourishing Powder.

After successfully preparing it, Bai Yu's proficiency in making the Essence-Nourishing Powder reached the level of "First Glimpse of the Path."

He personally tried a packet of the Essence-Nourishing Powder.

[Qi and Blood +0.1!]

[Qi and Blood +0.1!]

...

He could feel that this batch of Essence-Nourishing Powder was more effective than the first.

Perhaps it was due to the precise scale, or maybe Bai Yu's proficiency had increased.

In any case, Bai Yu was full of hope.

Finally, he could go to the black market to make money.

In the following days, Bai Yu spent over a hundred Life Experience points to elevate both Void Walking Step and Mysterious Turtle Breath Gathering Technique to the level of "Practice Makes Perfect."

Especially with Void Walking Step, he practiced day and night, becoming increasingly adept.

He could now climb trees like a bird.

In other words, he could silently leap onto a tree, landing on a branch with only the slightest movement, like a small bird.

"Everything is ready, time to set off."

That night, Bai Yu donned a cloak, wore a mask, and dressed in Nightwalker Clothes.

He and Old Mo headed into the darkness.

After walking for over an hour, they finally reached the entrance of a valley.

At this point, Old Mo was nowhere to be seen.

In the valley, many people were coming and going.

This was the black market of River City, located outside the city, and owned by the Zhao family, one of the city's prominent families.

In River City, besides the government, there were the four major families: Liu, Zhao, Xiao, and An.

Then there were the three major gangs: Black Wolf Gang, Divine Power Sect, and Money Gang.

The Money Gang mainly operated casinos and brothels in East City.

The Divine Power Sect was primarily composed of laborers and porters at the West City docks.

The Black Wolf Gang occupied the outskirts, living off protection fees from the shantytowns outside the city.

Despite their ferocity outside the city, the Black Wolf Gang had to bow to the Zhao family and the other major families.

Bai Yu had gathered most of this information through various inquiries.

He took a deep breath and slowly approached the entrance of the valley.

The people entering and exiting the valley were very orderly, forming a long queue.

It wasn't because they were particularly well-mannered, but because several mummified corpses were nailed to the stone wall at the entrance, serving as a warning.

Anyone causing trouble in the Zhao family's black market would end up hanging on the wall.

Moreover, at the entrance, there was a reclining chair with a bald man lying on it, spinning two iron balls in his palm as large as a fan.

Bai Yu couldn't discern his exact realm, but he was certainly a strong practitioner of the Qi and Blood Realm.

Next to the bearded man stood a sign:

"Entrance fee: five coins, Stall fee: ten coins, Anyone who fights in the black market: death!"

Bai Yu queued up and slowly entered.

When it was his turn, he paid the ten-coin stall fee and received a wooden token.

Finally, he stepped into the black market.